Dear Editor,
One of the fundamental problems to be surmounted in Guyana is our inability to become involved in genuine dialogue and to compromise and find consensus in the interest of the entire body politic.
The wielders of political power in and out of government have got to learn that power can be utilized to serve the greater good. We will continue to be a people in a perpetual leadership and governance crisis until we stop viewing and using power as the basis for the protection and perpetuation of the elite in the status quo be it in political parties, trade unions, football, cricket or the church inter alia.
The vindictive use of power is in itself a hindrance to progress. It is sad to see that even sport has been inflicted with the authoritarian culture of domination and the protection of the status quo rather than governance based on the rule of law. What is worse is that our youth is led to believe that this is the only way.
The foregoing prevents us from having agreed to national ideals and a national development strategy and plan. It prevents us from developing our human resource base in general and a meritocracy in particular. The consequence is, a demotivated and demobilised nation in which the youth is given little or no leadership. The youth and some old ones as well, sit at the departure lounge with only their new place of abode to be determined.
Our decadent political culture is one of the main sources of our problem. Our present parliament is a true reflection of the decadence of this political culture.
The government shows no interest in the development of a democratic culture. Their interest is to wield unfettered power. Their whole focus is on regaining a majority so that they can operate as authoritarians that frequently step up to the dictatorial level. You see no indication from them that they have an understanding and an interest in a system which has checks and balances, in which power is restricted by law and as custodians of that power they are accountable to the people. What you get, is a desire to at all cost return to the Jagdeo era of arbitrary and the dictatorial use of power.
On the other hand one doesn’t sense that those who see themselves as the alternative to the government are prepared to usher in a new political culture. The opposition – both APNU and AFC needs to start doing the things that will reassure the people that we are not heading for an exchange but that we are moving to develop a democratic society.
More importantly, since none of the political parties is likely to win a majority, they need to come to grips with the reality and outline a clear vision and a plan as to how they will govern as a minority. They also need to state how as a majority opposition they will make whichever government that emerges respect the rule of law, be transparent and accountable. In this regard, barring a few in Parliament, the opposition is failing the people of Guyana.
I have arrived at the conclusion that, unless there is constitutional reform that puts checks and balances on the executive arm of government, minority government can be a good thing for Guyana. Consequently, I don’t want to see a majority government in Guyana until there is change in our political culture.
We have to learn to be constrained by law, accept checks and balances and be transparent and accountable. When the political forces arrive at that level of political maturity we can return to majority government.
I believe the PPP must go. However, we need the mechanisms to prevent future governments from making us relive the authoritarianism of the past.
The task before this nation is to create the mechanisms to facilitate genuine change. We need to start focusing on governance beyond elections.
Yours faithfully,
Aubrey C. Norton
